Chapter Two
Walking along the riverside in my onesie with a coat over me and my comfortable chunky walking boots, I think long and hard about Aunt Grace’s letter. Why didn’t she ever tell me about Marek before? At least I would have been a bit more prepared for her final request. Had I known about the two of them, perhaps I could have helped get them back together.
She could have told me there was trouble with Uncle Harry. What on earth did she mean about nobody knowing what goes on behind closed doors? Oh, Aunt Grace, what a mess. Why did you put Harry’s family before your own needs? And how on earth am I going to sort this out with the solicitor?
I can’t possibly go to Prague. In fact, I’m starting to panic about everything. I can feel my heart rate speeding up as I even think about it. If I can’t face going back to work, or into town, how on earth does anyone expect me to leave the country? Aunt Grace’s estate will have to go to someone else. Perhaps the whole thing can go to the donkey sanctuary.
I try to think if there is anyone else in the family who could perhaps visit Marek to carry out Aunt Grace’s dying wish instead of me. I have a long-lost cousin of a cousin, but I don’t think he got on with this side of the family particularly well. I wouldn’t even know where to find him. Then it hits me. What if I advertised for someone to have a free holiday to Prague if they go for me? There must be someone who would be up for it. I will suggest it to the solicitor. I run back into the house to plan my excuses and explain that I have come up with a solution.
I consider writing back to Mr Dewi Jones of Estate and Probate, until I realise it would mean going into town to the post office to get stamps. I couldn’t possibly stand in that queue and hang around with all those people. So, I have no choice but to pick up the phone and call him. I can’t have this hanging over me; I need to sort this out immediately.
Even though I don’t particularly fancy this conversation, I dial the number that is stated at the top of the letter. I didn’t expect to be able to get hold of him right away, so I am not prepared when the receptionist asks who is calling, tells me to hang on and then suddenly puts me through.
‘Oh, hello, Ms Edwards, is it?’ The voice isn’t as I expected. He immediately sounds like a friendly Welshman you would chat to in the pub and not someone pompous that, for some reason, I had built up in my imagination. He sounds older, as though he should have probably retired by now but doesn’t play golf or have anything better to do with his days. Perhaps I should have done this sooner and not assumed that he was some sort of scary young hot-shot lawyer. I start with my explanation.
‘Yes, about this letter, I can’t possibly go to Prague…’
‘Sorry to butt in here, Ms Edwards. I know I should let you speak, but Mrs Pugh was very precise with her will. She also wrote me an individual letter saying the first thing you’d say is that you can’t visit Prague and not to take no for an answer.’
His response takes me by surprise. I hadn’t realised that people had seen through my excuses and been so vocal about them to others. I know that I thought she may have wanted me to make this trip to get me away from here on purpose but to tell someone that I would make excuses is another matter. I hope everyone else doesn’t realise how I have been behaving. I try to comfort myself with the fact that Aunt Grace knew me better than most so perhaps that is why she realised. I persuade myself that friends and work colleagues think I am genuinely busy living my life.
‘Yes, well, Mr Jones, I don’t go out much. I’d rather stay at home, you see.’
‘It’s Dewi, please. Look, I’m going to level with you, right? Your aunt was a good client of ours and, well, we go back years. We might be solicitors, but we’re also a family business. I don’t want to embarrass you, but she was very worried about you. She said since your husband left, you have avoided going out. Please consider me a friend when I tell you this. I promised her I’d help you. You know, she hadn’t been well for some time now. She didn’t want you to worry. She told me on numerous occasions how she was more worried about you than herself.’
‘She never complained about her health. I know she had that fall, but…’
I can’t believe that Aunt Grace would confide in Dewi more than me. The news upsets me. ‘Look, I’m sorry but you don’t know anything about me, Mr Jones. I don’t need help, thank you very much. I am fine by myself.’
‘Yes, she also said you’d say that.’
‘Look, I don’t really want to talk to you about my private life. Now, about why I called. I have decided that I’ll find someone else to go to Prague. I’ll advertise for someone to go on my behalf. I most certainly won’t be doing it, especially after my aunt has told you my business.’
‘Please don’t be like that. I don’t want you to think me impertinent. We just want to see you out in the world again. I feel as though I have a duty of care towards you on behalf of your aunt. Did you know we go way back?’
Goodness, how old is he? He really should be retired by now. Maybe I should point it out to him in case he hasn’t noticed.
‘I’m not a charity case. I’m fine.’
‘Are you though?’
‘I told you, I’m not discussing my business with you. Now, I won’t be going to Prague, so we need to find someone else. Unless you have any clever suggestions for that too?’
‘I’m afraid that it is quite clear that it must be you who visits Prague. I suppose you could go to court and fight the will. But it would cost you…’
‘If you don’t have any other suggestions, then I don’t have anything further to discuss. I’ll leave the will, just give it all to the sanctuary. I won’t take the money as I’m not going.’
‘Look, I know it’s all a bit of a shock now. You’ve only just received the letter and the copy of the will. I’m sure that it’s also come as a shock that your aunt loved someone other than Harry. But why don’t you take some time to think about it and not do anything rash, hey?’
Will this man stop telling me what to do? I never let a man tell me what to do, let alone a stranger.
‘Well, I won’t be going to Prague!’
‘They do say it’s beautiful at this time of year. My secretary went last year. There was carol singing, Christmas markets in the Old Town Square, she drank mulled wine. I was very jealous when I heard what a great time she’d had while I was stuck in the office.’
I remember when I loved all those things – but no longer.
‘Yeah, well. As I say, I’d rather stay home.’
‘As you wish. But there is quite a large estate at stake here, so I would urge you to consider your choices carefully. You are due a very substantial amount of money for one short trip to Prague. She’s even thrown in spending money. What is there to think about?’
Eventually, I tell him that I will consider it. At least it gets me off the phone for now. That is what I always do when someone won’t take no for an answer and pressurises me into something. Like when you bump into someone you haven’t seen for years, for good reason, and they suggest a reunion.
He was also going on about the snow globe and how it should arrive this afternoon by special delivery. At least I can keep that bit of the estate.
I have only just put the phone down when it rings again. I have a good mind not to answer it as I presume Dewi has thought of another way to force me to leave Willow River Mill. However, I decide to pick it up to stop him from bothering me further. He is probably the type of person who will ring incessantly until he gets a response.
‘What is it?’ I answer.
‘Olivia, have I rung at a bad time?’
‘No, I’m so sorry, Charlotte. I thought it was someone else. A nuisance caller.’
‘Oh dear, you know you can speak to your phone provider nowadays and see if you can field calls.’
‘Yes, it’s okay. It’s nothing I can’t handle. Anyway, sorry about that.’
‘No problem at all, as long as you’re okay. Anyway, the reason for my call is that we need to know whether you’re coming back to work. I know I said I’d give you until the end of the week, but I’ve just been told that I have to be on a course on Thursday and Friday, so today’s my last day for me to inform head office before the deadline. Have you had any more thoughts at all? Sorry to pressure you. I hate to do this.’
‘Um, no. I haven’t, to be honest. My aunt just died, and things are a bit up in the air. I can’t think clearly at the moment.’
‘Oh, Olivia. I’m so sorry to hear that. I know it doesn’t sound like the best of times but if you could have a think. Is there any chance you could call me back by, say… four-thirty and give me the answer. Otherwise, we will need you back in on Monday morning.’
Monday! My heart starts racing and I feel that panicky feeling once again. I can’t possibly face everyone next week. It’s impossible. So, I make my mind up there and then.
‘I’m sorry, I won’t be coming back in. I don’t want to mess you around, but right now, I can’t face coming in.’
‘Well, I’m very sorry to hear that, but I’m glad you’ve decided what to do. Perhaps you’ll feel better once you know that this is a weight lifted off your shoulders.’
‘Yeah, sure.’
‘I’ll arrange your P45 and get that in the post to you, okay? We’ll also need your uniform back. Can you pop that in… or post it?’
‘I’ll arrange to send it, thanks.’ I suppose I will have to face my fear of the post office unless Ken can arrange postage for me.
I put the phone down and make myself some tea and toast. There is nothing like tea and toast in a crisis. Although, I begin to realise that this isn’t really a crisis. In fact, it is a good thing as I have made my mind up, finally! I told the truth and stopped making excuses. It feels liberating. Now all I have left to do is sort Dewi out before he comes back and gives me a hard time. But that’s enough tough decision-making for one day. I crunch down on my toast with a sense of satisfaction. I made the right move.
I spend the rest of the afternoon pottering around the garden. I stop to admire the pink and purple cyclamen that have flowered in the corner near the pond. There are no fish in there, but sometimes, I spot tadpoles and frogs if I am lucky. There is so much wildlife here, which is another reason I love it so much. Badgers and hedgehogs, and all the other animals love the garden of Willow River Mill.
I check the bird feeders and realise I will have to add some bird food to the bi-weekly shop. One of my pleasures is looking out the window and watching the birds the garden attracts. I have seen kingfishers, owls, herons, buzzards, and doves who come in pairs. There is so much nature around here.
When I head inside, I go online to start my next supermarket delivery. I make sure I add all the bird food first and then carry on with my shop of frozen food. I enter my card 1details and get an error message on the screen. I have still been getting payments from work until now, so I know there is money in my bank account. Still, I check to see if I can work out what the problem is. My eyes open wide as I see that, despite my humble and self-sustainable existence, the balance is very low. In fact, so low that it won’t pay for the shop. No wonder my card has been refused! Fortunately, I have a small savings account that I can transfer money from, but as I look at the balance, I see that it won’t take me long to get through that with all the birdseed I buy. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been so hasty on the phone to Charlotte.
I put my head in my hands and wonder how I can continue living like this when there is a knock at the door. I was so distracted by my lack of bank balance that I hadn’t even heard anyone coming up the lane.
It is a delivery guy that I haven’t seen before.
‘Alright, can you sign this for me?’
‘Sure.’
Taking the little square box from his hands, I place it down carefully. It has ‘fragile’ stickers all over it.
I sign his hand-held computer gadget and pass it back to him, then I take the box inside.
I open it carefully in the kitchen, making sure that I don’t damage anything as I know that what is inside is the most precious gift that Aunt Grace could ever have given me.
I release the two flaps of the box and pull gently at the contents.
The snow globe is released, and I place it in the palm of my hand. Then I shake it softly and watch as the snow falls steadily over a replica of Prague Castle. So now I know why Aunt Grace had a snow globe of Prague! All these years, I assumed it was a souvenir from someone who had been there on holiday. I finally know the truth.
‘Oh, Aunt Grace, it is magical, and I will treasure it forever,’ I say out loud.